Journal Review 2

Journal Review 

E-Journal of English Language and Literature Volume 5 No. 1 Serie A.

THE LANGUAGE ATTITUDE OF THE FARMERS OF ALAHAN 

PANJANG TOWARD THEIR INDONESIAN

Murdelvia Putri , Dr. Hamzah, M.A. M.M 2

,Reviewed by

Ahmad Zakki Fuadi 

ABSTRACT

This journal identify about  the attitudes of farmers towards Indonesian language in Alahan Panjang and factors of what makes the farmers in Alahan Panjang had an attitude. This research was descriptive quantitative field that describes the attitude of farmer opinion against the phenomenon of language attitude occurred. This attitude derived from the distribution of research questionnaires and interviews to farmers in Alahan Panjang which has business associates in Indonesian language. Their age restrictions on farmers is between 30-55 years. The results showed 92 out of a total of 100 farmers in Alahan Panjang were used as participants in the study showed a negative attitude towards Indonesian. They are not proud and do not want to use the Indonesian language in which they are located. There are several factors that cause these farmers Indonesian negative towards such social factors, a situation the use of language, gender, prestige, and cultural factors. The results of this study prove that farmers in Alahan Panjang do not want to use the Indonesian language in communication. They will only use the Indonesian language when communicating with people who only understand Indonesian.

Goals 

This paper aims to identify the attitudes of farmers towards Indonesian language in Alahan Panjang and factors of what makes the farmers in Alahan Panjang had an attitude.

Problem

This paper is conducted as a linguistic study which is oriented with socio cultural context. It shows the phenomena of language attitudes which occur in farmer communication using Indonesian.

Theories

      Factors were found in interviewing that make farmers have negative attitudes toward Indonesian are social factors, situational of languageuse, gender and prestige. The most factors which occur are situational of language use and social factors. Farmers tend to speak Minangkabaunese because they are in Minangkabaunese area and not understood Indonesian well. This situation makes them have to decide to use Minangkabaunese better than Indonesian. 

Social factor is also affected farmers to have such attitudes. They live in Minangkabaunese society as a result they have to speak by using Minangkabaunese. Prestige means the farmers are not ashamed to use Indonesian while communicating each other. This factor is categorized into covert prestige. It based on Holmes (1992:348) which said that covert prestige defines how people should speak to be considered members of that particular object. It means farmers defined their attitude toward Indonesian to be considered members of a certain community. They speak Indonesian and want to consider as members of Indonesian people. 

Meanwhile, the writer found other factors that make farmers have a negative attitude toward Indonesian. Those factors are environment and cultural factors. There are some farmers who did not speak Indonesian because it is not based on their environment. They said that they live and arise in Minangkabaunese environment as a result they speak Minangkabaunese not Indonesian. Their other reason is Minangkabaunese is their native language that is why they have to speak Minangkabaunese not Indonesian. Cultural factors occur because farmers did not want to make Indonesian as their identity. They did not keep to speak Indonesian and not proud of using it.

There are many negative answer toward Indonesian found. In addition, there are eight farmers who have positive answered toward interview guidelines questions. There are no differences between females and malesattitudes that found in this paper. Both of them have a negative toward Indonesian. In order to know the clearly explanation, the occurrence of farmers’ attitude performed into transcription text.In general, language attitudes are part of Sociolinguistic study. Languages attitudes are something which is focused on the individual speaker’s attitudes toward his own language use. It shows mental attitude and behaviour of language. 

      The phenomenon of language attitudes also happens in Minangkabaunese especially Minangkabaunese farmers. Generally, Minangkabaunese farmers are to be hesitant to decide their attitude toward language. This paper is to investigate the farmers’ attitudes toward Indonesianin Alahan Panjang and the factors that make farmers have such an attitude toward Indonesian in Alahan Panjang.

Methods

      This paper is conducted by using descriptive quantitative method. It is called quantitative because it descibes the data from the result of the questionaires and interviews form by accumulated the data based on Likert’ Scale measurements and identified the data in accordance with the types and factors of language attitude.

Finding 

       In this paper, the writer found 92 of 100 total data of farmers’ answer in Alahan Panjang have a negative attitude toward Indonesian. They were generally disagreed toward the positive statements and agreed with negative statements. Even there are seven until eight farmers agreed with those positive statements and about seven farmers disagreed with negative statements.

Conclusion

      It can be concluded that farmers in Alahan Panjang have a negativeattitude toward their national language. They are not proud of using Indonesian wherever they are. They do not want to make Indonesian as their identity and they do not aware about that language. Meanwhile, there are five factors found in the data such as: social factors, situational of language use, gender, prestige, and cultural factors. Therefore, the writer suggest to next researchers or writers to continue this topic or make it as a relevance researchor paper in order to develop better knowledge about attitude toward language especially attitude toward national language.